Discuss - Ep #0401

[Watching Project]

Robservations #401

And if you'd care to look back, the first WP discussion topic for this ep:

Re: Discuss - Ep #0401

[DarkLady]

Ben's cell looks remarkably like the room that Elizabeth Collins Stoddard will keep locked for eighteen years.

Ben makes his escape, leaving Barnabas unconscious and picturesquely sprawled on the floor.

Wonderful scenes with JF and LE and of course with JF and TD. The last scene is absolute magic. I'll bet Barnabas is glad now that he taught Ben to read and write!

[DarkLady]

Well, okay, maybe "glad" isn't the word I'm looking for, but it certainly is fortunate. 

[MagnusTrask]

Barnabas gets his brain in gear!

I've been disappointed with 1795 this time around (not saying necesssarily that it's the fault of the program), but 401 may be the best ep yet, one of the best ever possibly.   Welcome, Collinwood basement cell that has a cracked, peeling wall even though it's new.......   One great scene after another, as Barnabas shows us the best of him, who he is, and what he's made of.   This episode definitely makes me like him, a lot.   Great scenes with Ben in particular.

Welcome Fishing Shack, chronologically!   Since I'd have liked to have been told this before I knew, [spoiler]this is the first time we've seen it since it burned down with Laura in early 1967.   I wonder if they were attentive and avoided having it mistakenly appear in the present after that.... except in PT, which they probably did, which will be interesting.[/spoiler]

Very clever, ending it with Ben leaving the 'V' clue then changing it to 'A'!

[DarkLady]

MT, [spoiler]the fishing shack will also feature in the NOT parallel-time 1840 story. I don't remember if it's in PT as well.[/spoiler]

And yes, Barnabas is an all-around good guy, isn't he!

[dom]

Wait a minute! Do Barnabas and Trask have the same coat? Oh, Vicki explains the fire and ice thang.

It seems odd to me that Ben would hit Barn over the head and escape. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. Ben was probably on his way back to prison. Why he wasn't in the Collinsport jail awaiting extradition is beyond me.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Barn: "I know you're innocent and I'll do everything I can to help you."

YES! YES! YES!  Barn: "'A', 'A' for Angelique."

[alwaysdavid]

The Collins family have an amazing talent for amassing junk in the already deteriorating cellar after having lived there for days and having left a fully furnished house behind them. Vickei reveals that there was not heat from the fire only an icy feeling. I still cannot quite fathom when  knowing that Trask was out the front door, she didn't run out the back of the house or stop to realize only her room was in flames.

[dom]

Good point re: Vicki's exit.

[alwaysdavid]

I dislike plot driven stories that dumb down the characters. The story should come from the well drawn characters , but Hall/Russell are writing. I could totally blame DC but I have seen their work elsewhere. Why not have Angelique put Vickie under a spell to go out the front door and not make her look so stupid.

[dom]

If we had to come up with an excuse for her I would say that she was over-panicked and just wanted to get the hell out of there.

I am getting so used to the stupidity and lack of of respect of the writers and DC had towards the fans and show itself that I can barely stand to mention it anymore. I'm even tired of 'listening' to myself piss & moan about it.

[Gothick]

I think Angelique's spell (or "Working" as it is technically called) did affect Vicki's mind, although the writing and direction failed to clarify just what was going on.

G.